Kenyans Save WFP Food Cargo From River

Nairobi, 18 November 2008 - Local people helped WFP overcome a minor disaster recently when a truck carrying food to a district north of Nairobi, in Kenya, slipped off a bridge into a river.

Other road users and local villagers stepped in to salvage the food supplies and transfer them to another vehicle, so they could continue their journey to Merti in the Isiolo District.

The driver of the WFP-chartered truck tried to cross the Ewaso Nyiro River but slid off into the water about halfway across the Gotu bridge.

A little while later the river flooded and the truck was swept away. But by that time, thanks to the resourcefulness of Kenyans, the truck's cargo had been saved.

Trucks are the most flexible means to deliver food aid. They are the workhorses of WFP Logistics, carrying food along some of the roughest roads in the world. WFP Logistics relies on contracted transporters for most of its deliveries.